Mohamed Salah insisted the best thing about living in Liverpool is the people of the city as he answered a wide-range of questions for Sky Sports.
While the Reds’ attacking output has slowed of late, Salah remains Liverpool’s top scorer in the Premier League this season, with 13 goals in 17 games so far.
The Egyptian will be hoping to better that record this weekend as the champions take on league leaders Manchester United at Anfield.
Salah sat down with Sky Sports to answer a number of questions sent in from supporters before the clash, with over 10,000 questions being submitted for the Reds star.
Asked on what his favourite thing about living in Liverpool was, he replied: “The people in Liverpool, easy question.
“From my first day here, they were really nice to me and they always showed me the love; during the game and after the game, [in] the city.
“It’s the people in Liverpool that make life better in Liverpool.”
Liverpool supporters will undoubtedly take kindly to these words, with small murmurs of a potential move away from Anfield cropping up several times over the last year.
Asked whether he could now do a Scouse accent after three-and-a-half years on Merseyside, Salah amusingly said: “I’m just happy I’ve started to understand Trent. That’s the most important thing.
“To speak is the next level, but to understand is the most important thing. I think now I understand him.
“Speaking [in Scouse] is a little bit harder. When Trent and Robbo (Andy Robertson) speak to each other and it’s very fast, I need slow-motion. I’m like, ‘Wait, speak slowly so I can understand.’”
Salah also revealed his best mates at the club are Kostas Tsimikas and Xherdan Shaqiri, this following Dejan Lovren’s departure to Zenit St Petersburg last summer.
The two had formed a strong friendship before Lovren’s move away, with Salah admitting it was an “emotional” moment for him to see his best mate leave.
“It was [very emotional]. I think we were crying outside. When I knew he was leaving already, we shared a really emotional moment; we were sad,” Salah said.
“I was happy for him because he wanted to go but I was sad because he’s a good friend of mine and we still stay in touch now.
“We talk from time to time. We text each other every couple of days so we stay in touch.”
Asked why he first performed his now-famous yoga celebration, Salah was keen to highlight the benefits he feels from the practice as he said it “makes you more aware.”
“I love doing yoga and mediation,” he said. “It [the celebration] just came natural, I think it started in the Chelsea game when I scored a goal. I was doing yoga a day or two before the game; I didn’t think about it really. I scored and celebrated, it was a nice one.
“[Yoga] really helps, especially with your awareness. It makes you more focused because you have to keep your awareness whilst doing yoga. You can’t really play music and do yoga because of the structure.
“But it makes you more aware, it focuses you more within the moment and, of course, there’s a lot of benefits there for the muscles because you have to go deep to stretch so it helps you recover.
“There’s a couple of positions I can’t do because you have to be a professional to do some of them, but I’m trying my best!”
The 28-year-old and fellow winger Sadio Mane are hugely competitive, as evident by some of the minor conflicts displayed on the pitch over the last few years.
Asked who he believed was quicker between the two, Salah said: “I always choose myself. I’m sure Sadio would choose himself.
“We were talking about this – me, Sadio and Gini – and Gini was saying to him that I was faster than him and he was like ‘No! I’m faster than Mo.’
“I think over a short distance… it could be me, in my opinion. And in the long-distance… it could be me as well. It could be me.”
While Salah was quick to claim the top prize from Mane, he insisted he couldn’t choose the best crosser between full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.
“That’s a tough one. Trent, sometimes you can get scared to touch his crosses because he’s shooting it at your head. Robbo’s calmer, he finds the player to give it to in front of him,” Salah said.
“But I can’t choose one, they have different techniques and styles of crossing. I can’t choose one, don’t get me in trouble!
“Trent’s crosses are sometimes helpful because all it takes is someone to touch it and goal, but still, you’re scared sometimes to touch it because it’s really hard!”
Asked whether he prefers Egyptian or English food, he said he would rather opt for Italian food, although he chooses healthy meals wherever possible. Traditional fish and chips doesn’t quite cater to this, with Salah insisting he isn’t keen on fried fish.
He also revealed he has two cats, with one named ‘Boss’ by his daughter, who undoubtedly took some inspiration from the Scouse lingo!
Hollywood actor Rami Malek would play him in a film, as he would “know the culture” to make the film better, with Salah insisting it would be an interesting film to make as he “saw a lot” during his journey to the top.
The full video is available to watch here and makes for great pre-match viewing.
